News Pool Test -- It Leaks Like A Sieve Inquiries Pour In After Pentagon Calls Group Of Reporters

April 22, 1985|By Washington Post

WASHINGTON — The first test of a new pool arrangement for the news media to cover surprise military actions became known here Sunday hours after the Pentagon secretly flew a group of reporters to Honduras to observe U.S.-Honduran military exercises.

A Pentagon spokesman, Col. Robert O'Brien, publicly acknowledged the beginning Sunday of a test of the pool arrangement, set up after news organizations complained that they had been excluded from the Grenada invasion in October 1983. He said the spread of the word among news organizations ''gives a great sense of unease to the military-operations people.''

O'Brien said that within hours after the 10-person pool was told Saturday evening to be ready to move out, one television network called, asking for details, followed by several other organizations he declined to name.

The Defense Department felt compelled to break its rules of secrecy to head off ''speculative stories.'' It informed the organizations that the pool was not going on a wartime mission.

Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger agreed in principle last year to organize a pool of reporters quickly to accompany U.S. invasion forces anywhere. In exchange, the Pentagon obtained assurances from major news organizations and press associations to keep any pool a secret until fighting began.

O'Brien said defense officials had decided to test the agreement by establishing a pool to cover a large, previously announced military exercise in Honduras, Universal Trek '85, scheduled for this week.

O'Brien questioned whether the system is workable, given the competitive nature of U.S. news organizations and their intense scrutiny of U.S. military activities.

''We're trying to run a realistic exercise of the pool idea to make sure we can serve the media's needs and to make sure that the security of the mission is maintained,'' he said. ''I think we have an answer to that. The net result is that security was breached.''

O'Brien said the test began at 6 p.m. Saturday when eight news organizations were instructed to send reporters to Andrews Air Force Base by 4 a.m. Sunday. Officials said only that the journalists should be prepared for a week's stay in hot and rainy weather, O'Brien said.

A government source said the organizations in the pool were United Press International, The Associated Press, Cable News Network, Mutual Radio, Newsweek magazine, The New York Times, Copley Newspapers and Dow Jones.

By 1:20 a.m. Sunday, O'Brien said, he had received a telephone call from a television network not included in the pool. O'Brien declined to name the organization. Similar calls from two other networks and three newspapers, including The Washington Post, were made to Pentagon officials, he said.